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Police Cup encourages youth to give back

The puck dropped on the 62nd annual Police Cup Hockey Tournament Friday at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
The puck dropped on the 62nd annual Police Cup Hockey Tournament Friday at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.

According to Chief of Police Paul Pedersen, the tournament, which welcomes roughly 500 players and 31 teams from the Sudbury Playground Hockey League, is a great opportunity for the police service to make a positive impact on the local youth.

“This is an opportunity for kids to play a sport regardless of ability or talent, not having to go through some of the stuff that is negatively associated with competitive hockey and to really enjoy themselves while they do it,” Pedersen said. “The lesson we hope to convey is sport is for everybody. If you're playing sport, you're not committing crime and that's a good thing.

“The Sudbury Police Service ... recognizes that you build a community from the ground up and we want to be part of the community,” he continued. “We don't want to just be brought in when something is wrong, we want to help build things to be right. This kind of work and this kind of tournament is really the business we like doing.”

Participants in the tournament are encouraged to give back to the community as well, with the Play It Forward Challenge.

“Each team is challenging each other to raise as much non-perishable food items and cash to give back to the community to the Sudbury Food Bank,” said Staff Sgt. Richard Waugh, a member of the tournament's organizing committee. “We want to be looked at as a positive influence to children, but we also want to teach them life lessons, too — it's not all about taking, it's about giving back as well.”

Team contributions will be measured by volume and the top three contributing teams will each win a pizza party at the RHP Training Centre in Sudbury. Guests and spectators who attend the tournament are also encouraged to donate non-perishable food items to help replenish supplies after the holiday season.

Last year's Police Cup brought in 575 pounds of food and $300 cash was collected, which was donated to local food banks.

“We have a great relationship with the Sudbury Playground Hockey League,” Waugh said. “A lot of their values are what we believe in — fair play, equal ice, every child having an opportunity. It's a fun event and we get a lot of positive feedback.”

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